We are hours away from the 2026 tax deadline.
If you haven’t filed, then you may want to get started or ask for an extension.
What do you do if you need to file an extension?
USA Today reported you have to file a form, which will allow you to have until Oct. 15. You will need to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and the estimated taxes owed or estimated refund.
But just because you ask for an extension doesn’t mean you get more time to pay.
The extension is for filing only.
You still need to pay your taxes, or you will get penalized for the amount owed.
So why would you file an extension if you still have to send the government money by Wednesday?
A lot of the time, the extension is needed because a taxpayer is missing information.
How do you file an extension?
You can use IRS.gov/freefile, no matter your income amount.
You can also use Form 4868, but if you have to mail it in, you have to do it before April 15.
If you drop it in the mailbox, it may not be postmarked by April 15 because of changes at the U.S. Postal Service, so you would be considered late.
As of December of last year, the USPS’s Delivering for America guidelines required mail be postmarked after it is delivered to a processing faiclity, but as Kiplinger said, pickups are not consistant, and postmarks may be delayed for days.
But you can go inside a post office and ask that the tax forms, whether extensions or filings, be hand canceled.
Kiplinger also said you can get a postage validation imprint or PVI, which is placed on the envelope after you pay for postage, if you ask.
You can also use certified mail, which is proof that USPS had the tax paperwork when you dropped it off. That option costs $5.30, according to CNBC.
What to do if you owe?
You can pay online, then select Form 4868 or extension as the payment type. The IRS, according to USA Today, will categorize it as an extension automatically, and you won’t have to file Form 4868.
What happens if you don’t ask for an extension and file late?
If you don’t ask for the extension and miss the deadline, you’ll get charged a failure to file penalty of 5% of the tax owed each month or part of the month up to 25%.
The minimum penalty is $525 or 100% of the tax owed, whichever is less.
If you don’t pay the full amount, you’ll get charged .5% for each month or part of a month up to a maximum 25% or the unpaid tax from the due date until it is paid in full. If it isn’t paid 10 days after the IRS issues a notice of intent to seize assets, the fee increases to 1%.
On top of the penalties, there is also interest charged, based on the federal short-term rate, plus 3% compounding daily.
The penalties only go into effect if you owe. If you don’t owe or get a refund, there is no penalty, but you will be delayed getting your refund until you file.
What if you can’t pay full tax bill?
If you don’t have the money to pay the full tax bill by April 15, you can ask for a payment plan. You will likely find out immediately after applying whether you’re approved.
Keep in mind that all these rules apply to federal taxes. State and even local taxes also have to be paid and many are owed around this same time of year, and have their own rules for extensions, USA Today reported.
For Florida taxpayers, there is no state income tax, so most filers only need to worry about their federal return. But that does not mean the deadline is any less important. If you live in Central Florida and still have not filed, tax professionals say the safest move is to file electronically or submit an extension through the IRS website rather than wait on the mail at the last minute.
And while Florida does not collect a personal income tax, some residents may still be juggling other money pressures tied to tax season, including property taxes, business filings or federal payments tied to self-employment and side income. For people who owe, filing on time or requesting an extension can help limit added penalties even if the full payment cannot be made right away.